Melodeon



EaZ/m5, ./W@

Z0 damp,-

KMA

PUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSIAH A. ROLLINS, OF BUFFALO, NEXV YORK.

MELODEON.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15,019, dated June 3,1856; Ressued August 7, 1866, No. 2,330.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, JosrAH A. RoLLrNs, ofBuffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Melodeons; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a transverse verticalsectional view of all the principal operating parts of a melodeon withmy improvements. Fig. 2, is a transverse section of the tube board. Fig.3, is a plan of the tube board.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

The object of this invention is, so to arrange wit-hin the instrument,four sets of reeds and to combine two sets of valves, to be played byone set of keys, as to keep all the reeds on one tube board and to makethe const-ruction of the instrulnentsimpler, than when the reeds arearranged in two banks, and at the same time to avoid making the depth orwidth of the case of the four-reed instrument any greater than that ofan instrument of the common kind, having only one set of valves.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I willproceed to describe its construct-ion and operation.

A, is the bellows.

B, is the wind receiver.

C is t-he stationary frame to which t-he sides of the wind receiver areattached and which serves to support the tube board D.

The above parts are all the same as in a common melodeon having only oneset of valves, with the exception that cavities a, a, are formed in thefront and back of the upper side of the frame, by which means the upperpart of the wind receiver is widened on each side to the extentindicated between the lines and c, in Figs. 2 and 3, without enlargingthe frame O, the tube board or the case, by simply extending it betweenthe frame O, and the tube board, instead of limiting its width by theinterior of the frame, as indicated between the lines Z), b, accordingto the usual plan. In this way a sufficient width is obtained for twosets of valves E and E', to work under the tube boards to admit wind totwo double sets of reeds e, e, and e, c, arranged above them. The valvesE of the front set are hinged at their front extremities and the valvesE of the back set are hinged at their rear extremities. This arrangementbrings the movable ends of the valves together and the end of everyvalve E, of the front set overlaps the end of a corresponding valve E,of the back set, as shown in Fig. 1, one guide pin f, serving for thetwo valves. This mode of fitting every two corresponding valves of thetwo sets enables the valves to be opened by a single acting key E,operating like that which is employed to open a single valve, by a pushdown pin g, pressing on the front valve the back valve being opened bythe front one overlapping it and pressing it down, whenever it is itselfdepressed by the key. Both sets of valves are furnished with springs L,z, of the usual kind. The rear valves E, are attached to the tube boardby aA simple hinge z', of leather, but the front valves E, in additionto their being attached by a strip of leather j, are supported by afixed strip of wood if, see Fig. 1, which extends from end to end of thewhole set of valves and serves as a kind of shelf for their ends to restupon. This strip is necessary for the support of the front valves, aswhen they are depressed by the push down pins, the whole of theresistance of the springs of the corresponding rear valves istransmitted so as to act in a downward direction on the hinges of thefront valves and the leather hinge alone would be insufficient to bearit. The pressure on the hinges of the rear valves in an upward directionlike that on the valves of other melodeons and is sustained by the tubeboards, therefore no support underneath them is necessary.

That I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. The extension of the wind receiver toward the back and front of thecase by forming cavities a., a, between the frame C, and the tube boardD, substantially as herein described thereby obtaining room under thetube board for the operation of two sets of valves, one behind the otherto operate on four sets of reeds without increasing the usual size ofthe case.

2. The arrangement of the two sets of valves E and E, to bring theirmovable ends together and the fitting of the said ends together so thatby the depression of the valves of one set, to open them, the cortheirhinges by a strip K, of Wood or other responding valves of the other setare dematerial substantially as and for the pur pressed and opened,thereby eifecting the pose set forth.

Opening of the tWo sets of Valves by a single JOSIAH A. ROLLNS. 5 set ofpush-down pins, and keys of ordinary Witnesses:

construction. S. V. SLAYTON,

3. Supporting the front set of valves at l W. J. COWEN.

[FIRST PRINTED 1912.]

